The NetLogo language is based on an intriguing eco-oriented paradigm: virtual turtles swimming around in a virtual pond. Turtles are provincial. They know nothing of the pond beyond their limited field of vision. A turtle's behavior is determined by a list of simple procedures that it perpetually executes. Turtles eat, mate, age, and die. They cheat and cooperate. They buy and sell. They hunt and flee. They spread rumors and diseases. They imitate their neighbors. Oh, I almost forgot, they can also draw.
Although turtles are provincial and their behavior simple, the behavior of the ecosystem as a whole (pond + turtles) can be surprisingly complex. Patterns emerge: self regulation, self organization, boom and bust cycles, synchronicity, flocking, rebelling, tipping points, evolution, even standards of morality.
NetLogo can be viewed as a laboratory for studying the emergent behavior of agent-based systems. Its ease of use (NetLogo is based on Logo, which was designed for children) makes it popular among biologists, economists, sociologists, chemists, physicists, and artists. Agent-based architectures are also interesting to computer scientists attempting to leverage massively parallel systems while avoiding the complexity of centralized control.
In this course we will use NetLogo to model complex systems. We will also explore the eco-oriented paradigm as an approach to games, ambient computing, and grid computing.
There will be six lectures and five labs:
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Week of 19 July |
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Sessions |
9:15-10:45 |
10:45 - 12:00 |
13:30 - 15:00 |
15:30 - 16:45 |
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Monday |
lecture |
lab |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
lecture |
lab |
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Thursday |
lecture |
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Friday |
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Week of 26 July |
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Sessions |
9:15-10:45 |
10:45 - 12:00 |
13:30 - 15:00 |
15:30 - 16:45 |
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Monday |
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lecture |
lab |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
lecture |
lab |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
lecture |
lab |
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The lectures and labs will be based on the NetLogo language:
Multi-Agent Architectures and Development
Want to see where some of this material comes from? Check out my references page.
Grades will be based on completion of some of the following labs:
http://www.stephan-robert.ch/eco-computing.php
http://www.stephan-robert.ch/SU10.php